Milstein's not the same Bob she remembers

Has anybody seen Bob Milstein? I have been looking for him for a long time and have looked everywhere I can think of; asked everyone who once knew him and no one seems to know where he disappeared to.

That man who is currently sitting on the Village of Oak Park Board of Trustees claiming to be Bob Milstein is an imposter. Can you believe that this pretender is even running for village president in the upcoming election? That this arrogant, condescending, vengeful self-styled champion of the so-called down trodden victims of Oak Park government is claiming to be Bob Milstein? ("Victims," so-called by him and by the others who have joined him on his slate, and by their deep-pocketed political sponsors.)

I remember that the Bob Milstein I knew was an open-hearted, warm and caring person with a twinkle in his eye. He always had a word of cheer to offer and was always supportive and helpful to everyone, whether he agreed with their politics or not. He would never have publicly demanded that the Village Manager turn in his resignation by Monday morning, nor would he have offered up "my dead body" if he was trying to get a village ordinance changed about the number of animals to be allowed in a household. Nor would he have insulted his fellow board members in public.

The Bob Milstein I knew disappeared somewhere around the time that Barbara Furlong demoted him from the chairmanship position of the community relations commission. Come to think of it, his disappearance may have even preceded that episode, because why else would Furlong have had question about his leadership? Yes, it was around that time that the Bob I knew disappeared and was usurped by this angry, critical, fiery and even insulting person.

This person proceeded to join together with and coalesce a group of other malcontented people who became known as the Village Citizens Alliance (VCA). Their first order of business was to claim that the Village Management Association. (VMA) was corrupt and was comprised of people whose power had gone to their heads and who were leading Oak Park down the path to rack and ruin. My goodness, he even seemed to manage to influence the publisher of wednesday journal to write that the VMA had lost its edge and was made up of old people who ought to retire and leave village matters to other more youthful people.

Heavens to Betsy! I must protest. Doesn't it seem obvious that if 93 percent of the citizens of Oak Park say they are very satisfied with their lives in Oak Park and if the VMA is the citizens' organization which has slated and helped elect most of the presidents and trustees that have served in Oak Park since 1968, wouldn't it follow that we should be thanking the VMA for exemplary service to Oak Park?

Yes, indeed, we should be. Thank you, VMA!

Well, gentle reader, let me repeat: I would like your help in finding Bob Milstein. I miss him?#34;at least, the Bob Milstein I once knew. In the meantime, I hope you will strongly support the VMA slate of candidates in the April election and urge you to come out and vote for them. They are Sandra Sokol for Village Clerk, Diana Carpenter for President, and Ray Barbosa, Dorothy Reid and Mas Takiguchi for trustees. They are the kind of positive, experienced and caring people who will help Oak Park continue to grow and flourish. They have their eye on future generations and are committed to creating an Oak Park that continues to satisfy its citizens.

And, who knows? Maybe they will even be able to find Bob Milstein and bring him home where he belongs.